Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Lessons from 金三顺

“因为我是爸爸的女儿,所以我要好好活着,嫁个好人家;我的姐姐们也有好好活着的责任。。。道营,如果一直为了因不因该追求幸福这件事整日苦恼,压力很重,最后变得像老光棍儿一样的话,你的妈妈不会就这样放过你的,不是吗?’。三顺开解道营时说的话。。

After being unemployed for such a (long) period of time, the frustration has reached its peak. To be honest, its unbearable. 三顺曾埋怨:“难道胖的女人就不是人吗?”。。我觉得:"难道fresh grads 就不是人吗?,难道没有internship,SEP,USP,honours就不算graduate吗?Interview 中会紧张会吃螺丝的就不是capable的人吗? 现实真的真的需要那么残酷吗?“....Sadly, I will never know when this nightmare will end. (nightmare may seem to be too strong a word, but I am sure 'rubbish bin' can attest to this horrible feeling). How will my_____ relatives react to me being unemployed by that supposedly joyous occasion of CNY? Or coming to terms that my friends who are in university have gone throught a full semester but I have nothing to show for? Yes..I know its still early to be thinking of that, however spending close to 5 months in the wilderness saps one's confidence and motivation. Then I came upon the above quotes........

And this in when I realised one thing :"人可以没有期望,但一定不可以对自己绝望"... So much easier said than done....

Final words of advice from 金三顺:“越是喜欢一个人,恋爱的道路就会越走越艰难,每次失败的时候总会想下次一定能成功,但是越走恋爱的路就会越艰难"... So true!...I guess the same rational holds for seeking employment too..... 

Friday, October 19, 2007

Civilian is king?

When I completed my liability in 2004, I told myself I would never go back to this organisation again. The 'red tape', the experience of near-authoritarian rule by 'banana' (dispite the hoo-ha of the merits of democracy and equality). ...This situation is perhaps a little different, like what 'JQ' used to say :"Civilian is king". So it means i go back there as a king?

Actually I dont really know why on earth did I applied for this job. Out of interest? Probably (the same job scope in an entirely different environment would be a huge plus) Because of the pay? Erm... I dont know whats the starting pay like, but I think its better than the private sector. What else?? (I am very glad the interviewers didnt ask me this question)

I wasnt really in my right sense of mind when I did the cognitive test. (I was having a real bad flu) Nevertheless, I earned (?) myself an interview. The lady who called me was confused by me. (Our interpretation of next wednesday results in 2 different dates, none of which was correct). 'Hamster' warned me that the questions asked during the interview might be rather wierd. (It cant be wierder than those at DBE right) Anyway, if they ask me the same questions, I am sure I know how to answer them well. (Thanx to 'clemmie' who taught (or rather refreshed) me the act of crapping)

The crux of what transpired that day was not so much about the interview itself. Prior to the interview, a gal gave me a basic guideline of the rules & expectations. The thing is, she looked like 'capaccino'. (She is a little taller and plumer, but her smile is nowhere as sweet as 'capaccino') Regarding the rules, I found one of them quite discriminatory & unneccessary, which requires one to declare if he/she is a homosexual or has homosexual tendencies. She explained that this declaration wouldnt be a factor in determining if one gets accepted into the organisation or not. I just feel the stigma towards them continues....

The interview itself was surprisingly carefree, pressure-less and interesting. Unlike 'hamster' experience, there wasnt any wierd questions. There were also quite a bit of laughter in the room and the 3 interviewers helped me out when I struggled to answer the questions or diverted to somewhere else. I have this feeling that they are more concerned with my knowledge of regional affairs & analytical capabilities (assuming I have) than my character.

On the way out, I saw someone who resembles 'bittergould' and she gave me a smile when she caught me looking at her. ( I really thought its her, but according to 'rubbish bin', she had gone to study abroad already) The prospects of 'Capaccino' and 'bittergould' working in the same place? Nah...There's uwasa (rumour) that 'bittergould' doesnt like 'capaccino' ( I have no idea its true or not) Me, capaccino & bittergould working in the same place? Sounds interesting!!!!!...But I guess the chances of that happening is diminishing with every passing second.

**Writer's note: This post was done in a rather casual and optimistic way (it was written like 2 weeks plus ago) The next post will be entirely different as it describes the reality...

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

technology suaku wants to change hp, but everything's so chim...

I believe after i write down everything, there will be more question marks than answers. A hp main purpose (by right) is to call people & SMS. Thats what I use my N7260 for. The camera function and radio are just "add-on" items (Think of it as value-added-ness), but in today's technological advancement, these are bare essentials. I think i am still living in the medieval age since i absolutely have no idea what many terms mean (bluetooth, WIFI etc) I dont even know how to use infra-red (maybe its because i didnt read the catalogue or instruction booklet)

Actually I didnt want to change hp, but my charger & ear-piece are near-spoilt. So I think its more economic to get a new hp then to get a replacement for those items. So what caught my eye- samsung ultra edition 12.1, 10.9, sony ericsson w660i & w850i, which ironically are of the same price. The main differences are ultra 12.1- camera good, design very nice but no radio, ultra 10.9- camera good, got radio but not 3G. Both the ericsson phones are similar ( I mean the 4 bare essentials), basically got everything but i dont quite like the design.

Me being a suaku, what exactly is 3G? I know it means we can call/ sms home directly from abroad. And then? How about 3.5G? And what does bluetooth and WIFI do to the phone? All phones come with MP3, but where/ how to download songs? (I know from internet, but where exactly?) How to transfer pics from hp to computer? Some phones can surf internet, but how come I dont see a mouse? So many questions, so little answers....

I kinda wanted to get an iPOD in Tokyo, but when I asked 'clemmie' via MSN how to use it, he gave a rather vague response (to me, in technological stuffs, everything's vague unless its step by step) So i didnt bought it, too chim for me. I think 'starfruit' nearly vommited blood when I bugged him on how to use a digital camera & what those mega pixes and optical zoom means (dont blame me okay, 'capuccino' praised you for being a technology expert, so thats why I asked you)

With so many question marks hanging over my head, I am very undecided over which one to choose. I prefer the samsung phones though, but they remind me of a particular football team which.....